With this year marking the 25th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise, fans have some big expectations for it. So far, there have been no major announcements related to future games, though there will be a music program headlined by Katy Perry, but one thing that won't be happening anymore is this year's Pokemon World Championships.
The 2020 event was canceled last year due to health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, with this year's 2021 event to essentially make up for it. However, with the pandemic still ongoing, The Pokemon Company has opted to cancel it again for the same reasons. As a result, all sanctioned Play! Pokemon events, including League Challenge, League Cup, Premier Challenge, and Midseason Showdown, will be suspended until further notice.
For now, the plan is to have an expanded 2022 World Championships, which will consist of professional tournaments for the video games, the trading card game, and fighting game Pokken Tournament. Since the 2020 one was supposed to take place in London, the 2022 World Championships will be held there as well and all invitations to the 2020 event will be honored. The company will also continue to support competitive online play through the Pokemon Players Cup and the Play! Pokemon Team Challenge.
When it eventually takes place, this will be the first time the World Championships are held outside of America. No doubt The Pokemon Company has chosen London for the next event due to the United Kingdom serving as the inspiration for the Galar region, the setting of the newest mainline games Pokemon Sword and Shield.
The coronavirus has been single-handedly responsible for the cancelation of many public events throughout 2020, resulting in a big move towards digital events, with many developers and publishers using livestreams or pre-recorded videos to make new announcements. Even E3, the biggest gaming related event of the year, had to be canceled despite the ESA's best efforts, though it will be taking place this year in the form of a digital event.
As disappointing as this news surely is for fans and would-be attendees, it's undeniably for the best that the event be temporarily shut down until everyone's health and safety can be guaranteed. In the meantime, though, there have been some anniversary related announcements that will keep fans satiated.
For instance, McDonald's Happy Meals now include four collectible Pokemon cards specifically made for the anniversary. The cards can also be used for the trading card game and depict all the starter Pokemon from across the franchise plus mascot Pikachu.
Source: Pokemon.com